


Day 16: Growth

by Skegulium



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: 31 Days of Apex (Apex Legends), Beekeeper caustic, Caustichound only if you squint, Gen, Parental Caustic loves giving Wattson learning opportunities, They have a lovely day out in the countryside together, also she makes a bee friend, day 16: growth, gardener caustic, it's really just a sweet snapshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25790038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skegulium/pseuds/Skegulium
Summary: Out in the Solace countryside, Caustic has a garden far, far from prying eyes - and for once, he decides to share it with people whom he's developed what one might call a 'friendship' with.A short snippet for the 31 Days of Apex prompt on Twitter!
Relationships: Bloodhound/Caustic | Alexander Nox, Caustic | Alexander Nox & Wattson | Natalie Paquette
Comments: 9
Kudos: 34





	Day 16: Growth

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter at [Skegulium on Twitter!](https://twitter.com/skegulium)
> 
> See more artwork and writing from the month-long prompt at the official [31 Days of Apex twitter.](https://twitter.com/31ApexDays)
> 
> HUUUUUUUGE thank you for beta reading and helping me polish this up to Euclidean Voice on the 31 Days of Apex art server!! SERIOUSLY, YOU'VE BEEN A HUGE HELP.

It was a lovely day to visit the Solace countryside. It was bright, it was warm, and best of all, the weather services reported the pollen count as remarkably low. Clean and _clear._ Truly, it was the kind of day that Caustic couldn’t help but appreciate to its fullest extent - and what better way to appreciate it than to go to his gardens and work?

Oh, his gardens weren’t something many people knew about. Back when he won his first championship, he took great pains to buy a little plot of land out in the countryside and keep it as a secret, secluded haven away from the hustle and bustle of the games. No one, not even the higher ups in the Syndicate, knew of his little hobby - and he liked it like that. His garden - once a few flower beds full of newborn sprouts and now a dozen beds with a greenhouse, carefully maintained gravel trails, and a honeybee colony - was his pride and joy and he didn’t easily share his hard work with others. 

Today, however, was a special day. It was the day of his first honey harvest - and the day where he deigned to show his hard work to someone else for the first time. 

“Doctor Caustic, I think I’ve fixed your irrigation pump! It looks like the leak corroded the power switches, but with a quick strip and replacement, I’ve got it all fixed for you! It should all _flow_ a lot better now, don’t you think?”

A smile tugged at his lips at the simple little pun Wattson made, and he glanced over to where she sat, giggling and holding up the pump with pride. She looked at place at the little work table he set up against the greenhouse, with a bright yellow sun hat and worn blue overalls scuffed with black oil and brown dirt. Still, the beaming smile on her face made her look as bright as ever, even when covered in filth.

“Why, thank you Miss Paquette,” Caustic said with a bow of his head, using one hand to keep his own gardening hat from slipping off. He sat at the other work table, just a stone’s throw from hers where he had a smoker laid out in pieces to inspect the bellows. It did no good to be stung when harvesting from the hives after all. “I knew I could count on your brilliant mind to assist me with my troubles. You truly are an asset to my garden.”

Wattson beamed as she set the pump down on the table, hopping off the stool and stretching about. She had, after all, spent some time hunched over the little device to pry its secrets from within its gears. “I’m just happy you invited me out here with you! I didn’t know you gardened! It’s so lovely out here too - so well organized!” A soft, fluffy bee began to buzz around her head, bumbling down from the sky and he watched as it set itself on the top of her head, unbeknownst to her. How sweet. “Do we have anything else we need to do? Or is it almost time to say hello to your bees? I’m sure they’re _bee_ -utiful!”

Her enthusiasm was endearing, in a way. He wasn’t easily bought by artificial kindness and wall-eyed optimism, but… hers was genuine kindness. Her optimism was not to be confused with naivety. Underneath her own cheeriness was something else he admired far more, so he accepted it - and at times like this, he benefited from it. She was a kind soul who, when asked if she wanted to go on a trip to the countryside, lept up like an excited puppy at his heels for the opportunity to visit not only a personal project of his, but also learn something new that she had little knowledge of. Or, at least, he hoped the latter was a driving motivation of hers. It may be fun for her, but he hoped that this was a good opportunity for her to learn a little bit about the uses of nature. 

“Well,” Caustic began, putting his hands on his knees and glancing at the smoker beside him. “I believe all we need to do now is start smoking the hive to prepare for the harvesting. Miss Paquette, do you think you can retrieve my gloves while I ready this?”

The bee on Wattson’s hat was clinging for its poor, dear life as she enthusiastically nodded, the hat wiggling wildly on her head. “Of course! Where did you leave them last? I don’t believe I saw them in your tool box.”

"I believe he left them by his truck." The next voice that called out was clearer, more melodic - with just the softest twang of an accent that pulled at each consonant - from inside Caustic's greenhouse.

Wattson's face brightened up at the voice and she immediately turned to where they all arrived from. "Thank you Bloodhound!" She called over her shoulder. Still, the bee clung to her hat, her unknown companion as she trotted down the gravel road.

Caustic eyed up the greenhouse, where the dark form of the other Legend stood in their usual full armored regalia. Blood was an... unexpected addition to his weekend garden trip. It was last minute, a quiet request from them who heard him extending the invite to his dear Miss Paquette. Honey and beeswax, they clarified. That's what they'd like to harvest from his hives - personally, if he allowed it.

And, he supposed, he would. Their unlikely companionship was still new - still in it's fledgling stages - but the more time they spent around each other, the more they enjoyed it. Polar opposites, yet they could agree on concepts such as practicality, on the desire to be _free,_ on the undertow of violence that ran beneath their image.

But that was a dissertation Caustic could write about at length later. After all, today was gardening day, not observation day.

"You like bees."

Caustic blinked. The other legend had been quiet while Wattson was around, so it was a surprise to hear them address him directly. "I did say I was a beekeeper in my free time, Bloodhound."

"Yes. You did. But being a beekeeper is different than liking bees." One of Bloodhound's hands came up and tapped gently at the stained glass pendant hanging from the roof of his greenhouse as they stepped outside. Honey yellow light scattered across the open yard, each hexagonal disk of the sculpture twisting and fluttering on their chains. It's brilliant, beautiful even, and he can't help but lean back to watch the way it glittered across the other's mask. "It is cute."

That's not something he heard every day. He glanced away, opting instead to inspect his smoker before they could catch him looking. "Which part of it is cute? The fact that it's bees, or the fact that I like them?"

They don't answer. Not with words, anyway - there's a soft huff that was passable as laughter that from the inside of their mask, muffled and barely audible. How silly it would be, to think he wouldn't hear it. Maybe another day, with another legend, he might find it insulting... but Blood was a curiosity to him, so just this once they got a chance to laugh at him. But only once.

"Your garden is nice. Very organized. You put love and pride into it."

"I do. Gardening is beneficial to me. Most of my chemical compounds are derived from the oils found in these plants. The flowers, the fruit they bear - all of it serves a purpose to further my research."

Boots crunch against gravel and Caustic glanced away from his table to catch the other Legend prowling among his garden beds. Each square of dirt was thoughtfully planned, carefully planted and thoroughly labelled - with pride, even. Tarps were hung over the more delicate plants and supports carefully tied to those who were much too eager to shoot up as quickly as possible. Bloodhound regarded them all with a careful eye, before stopping in front of one such plant, tied and bandaged at it's middle and leaves tinged with brown. A gloved hand reached out and touched the break - gently, so not to disturb it and snap it again, then down to pick up a shriveled leaf, long since pruned off to spare the plant from rot.

"Their usefulness to you is undoubted. But still, you have love for them. You take care of them when they're broken. You have many more like each other, but the care put into nurturing one can be seen. Plus," They tilted their head over a shoulder. "You keep bees for them. You care."

Well. He didn’t expect that. Dare he even say it, he was miffed. None of it was particularly damning, or insulting, but it felt like armchair psychology, poorly done and based off of surface observations. Yes, of course he cares about them - what would he do without his garden? But love? Caustic was not one to 'love' and he was more than fine with the prospect - but it wasn't worth arguing over. Bloodhound always had a romantic heart and a poetic way of thinking after all. This willful misreading was just part of the... charm, so to speak.

But, they continue. How lovely.

"You care about more things than you say you do. Your gardens, your research - Natalie, as well." The sun caught on their eyeglasses as they nodded towards the road. "I remember when you were colder, back when you joined the games. It has been interesting to watch you grow into what you are now. I wonder what else you will come to care about in the future."

That made Caustic's eyebrows shoot upwards. He’d always had plenty of would-be sycophants trying to pin his emotions and behavior over the years, eager to be _'the one'_ to understand him or prove his curt claims of detachment wrong - but they never were as... relentlessly optimistic or blunt as Bloodhound was. It was tempting to bite back at the legend as a warning to stay away, but he suspected it wouldn't deter them. Instead, he opted not to respond, turning instead back to his work table. He lit a match and pressed it into the smoker, waiting patiently for it to catch - and just in time, he heard the eager footsteps of Wattson return back to them.

"Here you are, Doctor Caustic!" She called out cheerily, gloves held out at arms length. Behind him, Blood left the garden beds to watch expectantly. He could feel their gaze on the back of his neck and it prickled, even as he took the gloves with a smile and tugged them on. 

"Thank you, Miss Paquette.” He said, before reaching up to pluck the bee tucked against the band of her hat. She blinked at the motion and her eyes turned to saucers as she realized for the first time she had a friend sitting on her. “Now, are you ready to help me harvest some honey? I can tell you about what you can make out of it that _isn't_ food while we do, if you'd like."

The look of delight on Wattson's face was answer enough and Caustic waved her over as he started for the beehives, even as he could practically feel Bloodhound smiling at the back of his neck.


End file.
